Jagged Edge (1985)

Director:

Richard Marquand

Writer:

Joe Eszterhas (written by)

Release Date:

4 October 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

When a murder case is this shocking, which do you trust... your emotions or the evidence?

Plot:

San Francisco heiress Page Forrester is brutally murdered in her remote beach house. Her husband Jack...

Plot Keywords:

Psychopath | Shower | Squash | Horse | Female Nudity

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Glenn Close	...	Teddy Barnes
Maria Mayenzet	...	Page Forrester
Jeff Bridges	...	Jack Forrester
Peter Coyote	...	Thomas Krasny
Dave Austin	...	Policeman
Richard Partlow	...	Policeman
Lance Henriksen	...	Frank Martin
William Allen Young	...	Greg Arnold
Ben Hammer	...	Dr. Goldman
James Karen	...	Andrew Hardesty
Sanford Jensen	...	Scott Talbot
Woody Eney	...	Austin Lofton
Al Ruscio	...	Carl Siegal
Sharon Hanian	...	Assistant D.A.
Sarah Cunningham	...	First Judge
Ann Walker	...	Ms. Barnes' Secretary
James Winkler	...	Ted Fitzpatrick (as James Winker)
Bruce French	...	Richard Duffin
Brandon Call	...	David Barnes
Christina Hutter	...	Jenny Barnes
John Furlong	...	Butler
Karen Wonnell	...	Stablehand
Sharon Madden	...	City Editor
Guy Boyd	...	Matthew Barnes
Phyllis Applegate	...	Mrs. Stiles
Robert Loggia	...	Sam Ransom
Michael Dorn	...	Dan Hislan
John Clark	...	Dr. Holloway
Louis Giambalvo	...	Fabrizi
John Dehner	...	Superior Court Judge Clark Carrigan
David Wiley	...	Court Clerk
Leigh Taylor-Young	...	Virginia Howell
Jay Crimp	...	Ms. Barnes' Assistant
Mike Mitchell	...	Bailiff
Diane Erickson	...	Eileen Avery
Marshall Colt	...	Bobby Slade
Walter Brooke	...	Duane Bendix
Karen Austin	...	Julie Jensen
Bill Gratton	...	Jury Foreman
Joyce Shank	...	TV Interviewer
Dean Webber	...	Newscaster
John X. Heart	...	Reporter
Brenda Huggins	...	Reporter
Richard Marion	...	Reporter
Edwina Moore	...	Reporter
Sue Rihr	...	Reporter
Suzanne Lodge	...	Reporter
Judith Siegfried	...	Reporter
Sally Train	...	Reporter
Abigail Van Alyn	...	Reporter
Terry Wills	...	Reporter
Biff Yeager	...	Reporter

Directed by
Richard Marquand

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Joe Eszterhas		written by

Produced by
Michele Connors Raley	....	associate producer (as Michele Connors-Raley)
Martin Ransohoff	....	producer
Don Carmody	....	assistant producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
John Barry

Cinematography by
Matthew F. Leonetti

Film Editing by
Sean Barton
Conrad Buff IV		(as Conrad Buff)

Casting by
Lynn Stalmaster

Production Design by
Gene Callahan

Art Direction by
Peter Landsdown Smith		(as Peter J. Smith)

Set Decoration by
Jerry Wunderlich

Costume Design by
Ann Roth

Makeup Department
Pete Altobelli	....	makeup artist (as Peter Altobelli)
Barbara Lorenz	....	hair stylist
Bob Mills	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
Terry Carr	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Terry Carr	....	second unit director
Alan B. Curtiss	....	second assistant director
Michael Daves	....	first assistant director
Regina Gordon	....	second second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Rene Auda	....	stand-by painter
Nigel A. Boucher	....	lead man (as Nigel Boucher)
Christopher Burian-Mohr	....	set designer
Stan Cockerell	....	property master
Beverli Eagan	....	set designer
Bill Iiams	....	general construction foreman
Roger Irvin	....	construction coordinator
Charles R. Lipscomb	....	lead man (as Charles Lipscomb)
John Warnke	....	set designer

Sound Department
Wayne Artman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tom Beckert	....	sound re-recording mixer
Raul A. Bruce	....	boom operator (as Raul Bruce)
Milton C. Burrow	....	sound editor
Gene S. Cantamessa	....	production sound mixer (as Gene Cantamessa)
Tom E. Dahl	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Tom Dahl)
Fred Judkins	....	sound editor
William L. Manger	....	sound editor
Joseph A. Mayer	....	adr editor (as Joe Mayer)
Tom McCarthy Jr.	....	sound editor
Jack Wolpa	....	cable person
Joseph Holsen	....	sound editor (uncredited)
John Roesch	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Lionel Strutt	....	adr mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Stan Parks	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Jena Holman	....	matte paintings

Stunts
Debby Porter	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Douglas E. Beal	....	assistant camera
Hugo Cortina	....	chief lighting technician
John R. Leonetti	....	focus puller
John J. Linder	....	key grip (as John Linder)
Elliott Marks	....	still photographer
Michael St. Hilaire	....	camera operator
Joseph F. Valentine	....	camera operator
Jesse Mather	....	lighting technician (uncredited)
Jeffrey Ray Strong	....	electrician (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Michael Dennison	....	costumer: men
Bruce Ericksen	....	costume supervisor (as Bruce Erickson)
Barbara Matera	....	costumes executed by
Elizabeth Pine	....	costumer: women

Editorial Department
William Goldenberg	....	apprentice editor
Peter Ransohoff	....	assistant editor

Music Department
John Barry	....	conductor
Tom Jung	....	music engineer

Transportation Department
Gary Hellerstein	....	transportation coordinator (as Gary M. Hellerstein)

Other crew
John Bush	....	location manager
Jonathan Elias	....	synthesizer
Michael Hill	....	production accountant
Arthur Leeds	....	legal advisor
Don Levy	....	unit publicist
Cathleen Moore	....	assistant: Mr. Marquand
Julie Pitkanen	....	script supervisor
David C. Thomas	....	location manager (as David Thomas)
Joan Wolpert	....	production coordinator (as Joan M. Wolpert)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation
• Delphi IV Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1988) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Prooptiki Video (2001) (Greece) (DVD)
• Prooptiki (1986) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Videosonic Arts (1987) (Greece) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Mayflower Recording  adr recording

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Germany:16 | Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | Canada:R (Ontario) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Australia:M (cut) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1986) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The typewriter is the exact same one Joe Eszterhas used to type up the script of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the final court day scene, Teddy Barnes' clothes change. This is because this scene was originally shot as two separate days, but were later edited into one final court day.

Quotes:

Thomas Krasny: The guy had a rap sheet as long as my dick.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in In the Cold of the Night (1991)

Jagged editing, but some good chills.

This courtroom thriller was one of the films that spawned a huge wave of copycats through the mid '80's and early '90's. Now, of course, these types of stories are on TV nightly in the glut of crime/law based shows. However, in 1985, audiences could still be (and were) riveted to the big screen by stories like this. Bridges plays a newspaper editor whose wife is brutally murdered along with their maid (in an opening sequence that is not overly graphic, yet is very disturbing.) Before long, he is prime suspect in the killings and is defended by a tentative, reluctant Close who is trying to redeem herself after some earlier unethical legal behavior. She squares off with slimy former prosecuting partner Coyote (in a slick, effective performance) to clear Bridges. She then, foolishly, becomes intimate with Bridges. There is constant doubt in her mind, as well as in the audience's, as to whether or not Bridges did the deed or not. Because the story is a tease and exists to manipulate and captivate the audience, there are plot holes galore. However, the film works very well on a visceral level, providing twists and shocks along the way (including one startling break-in near the end which is jarring no matter how many times it is seen.) The film's greatest strength is the acting, notably Close. Unlike later Eszterhas scripts, in which no one is sympathetic, she is a heroine to root for, despite her flaws. She brings great conviction to her poorly conceived role. Bridges does well also as the perfectly moussed, tan dreamboat who might be a savage murderer. Loggia brings a welcome salty edge to the film with his foul-mouthed portrayal of Close's investigator friend. All cussing and cigarettes, he is a stock Eszterhas character, but is acted well. There are other fine smaller roles played by Dehner as a crusty judge, Young as a haughty rich-bitch and Austin (an underrated actress) as an attack victim. Close has two annoying kids and a wimpy ex-husband to make her life that much more unbearable. Drawbacks to the film would be the illogic of the script and the bizarre editing of the courtroom scenes in which the clothing Bridges and (especially) Close wear inexplicably switch! Her hair is also consistently inconsistent throughout...(within scenes!)...flat one moment, curly the next, varying in height and swoop, etc.... The discordant music by Barry is very unsettling and his use of low piano keys doubtlessly inspired Jerry Goldsmith for "Basic Instinct". It's the same type of sound. Folks expecting a watertight story will be disappointed. Those who just want to be entertained and spooked should love it.